I recently acquired a 100 and I want to get a plow for it. The 100 has a belly mower but no fast hitch or drawbar. Which is better or do I even have a choice of the two? Any help you guys can give me would be great. I also need to know about a gas tank. The one on it has a big dent and is pretty rusty inside. What tanks will interchange?
Thanks
Jeff

Not to disagree with folks here, but this is my two cents. The 100/130/140 were easy to convert to standard Cat-1 3-point hitch. If I was going to set a tractor up for working, and if there is not any hitch on the tractor at all, I would have to invest in money towards a 3-point setup rather than trying to find a fast-hitch. Chances are that you will spend the same amount of money, and have a tractor that is much easier to find implements for. Anyway, that is if you are planning to work the tractor. If the tractor is to be restored for show and not really used, and you want to go back to a more PC original look, then try to find a fast hitch.

Max, a Super A tank has a little different bracket setup. So, that won't work.

On the fasthitch vs. three point issue, if you want to plow, I would go with the fast hitch. The retrofit three point hitches have no depth control other than up and down. You will find it just about impossible to plow at the proper depth....you will either be just barely scratching the ground, or "digging to China" and stalling out. Even gauge wheels on the plow will not fully overcome this problem in my experience. Now if you are going to be pulling a mower, blade, even a disk harrow, or any other non-digging implement, the three point will work good.

Super A wrote:Max, a Super A tank has a little different bracket setup. So, that won't work.

On the fasthitch vs. three point issue, if you want to plow, I would go with the fast hitch. The retrofit three point hitches have no depth control other than up and down. You will find it just about impossible to plow at the proper depth....you will either be just barely scratching the ground, or "digging to China" and stalling out. Even gauge wheels on the plow will not fully overcome this problem in my experience. Now if you are going to be pulling a mower, blade, even a disk harrow, or any other non-digging implement, the three point will work good.

Al

I'm usually an old agreeing codger, but I have to put in a little something here. I beg to differ on the retrofit 3 point hitch not having depth control. Since the hydraulics has up and down pressure, just put the locking lug on the lifting rod where you want it, tighten the locking bolt, and it has one of the best depth controls there is. I do like the fast hitch better, but 3 point hitch implements are easier to find and the depth control is superb. I'm in the process of building three, 3 point hitches now for the Super A's.

Super A wrote:Max, a Super A tank has a little different bracket setup. So, that won't work.

On the fasthitch vs. three point issue, if you want to plow, I would go with the fast hitch. The retrofit three point hitches have no depth control other than up and down. You will find it just about impossible to plow at the proper depth....you will either be just barely scratching the ground, or "digging to China" and stalling out. Even gauge wheels on the plow will not fully overcome this problem in my experience. Now if you are going to be pulling a mower, blade, even a disk harrow, or any other non-digging implement, the three point will work good.

Al

I'm usually an old agreeing codger, but I have to put in a little something here. I beg to differ on the retrofit 3 point hitch not having depth control. Since the hydraulics has up and down pressure, just put the locking lug on the lifting rod where you want it, tighten the locking bolt, and it has one of the best depth controls there is. I do like the fast hitch better, but 3 point hitch implements are easier to find and the depth control is superb. I'm in the process of building three, 3 point hitches now for the Super A's.

Yes, allowing the hitch to "float" as you describe would help if your soils are all nice and uniform, but in our soils would still be less than ideal. It would want to go "out of sight" in some places or just be barely scratching the ground in others. The result is usually a field that looks like it has been shelled by artillery.... The fast hitch (and original drawbar mount plow like the A 193 and Cub 193) allows you to vary the hitch point up and down more precisely to achieve some degree of depth control and respond "better" to changes in soil conditions. YOu lose all that with all the retrofit three point hitch systems I have seen--all you have to work with is the weight of the implement (gravity) and the condition of the soil. It would be the same concept as taking a tractor with three point hitch AND draft control, and "locking out" the draft control. I did this on a big JD once with a chisel plow--I got hooked up, went to the field, and forgot to set the draft--it was set on "position control" which meant it raised/lowered wherever you put the lever and didn't respond to varying load. I took off with the chisel plow in the ground, it hit a tough spot, didn't respond to the load, and next thing I knew the nose of the tractor was in the air!

Merlin wrote:I'm usually an old agreeing codger, but I have to put in a little something here. I beg to differ on the retrofit 3 point hitch not having depth control. Since the hydraulics has up and down pressure, just put the locking lug on the lifting rod where you want it, tighten the locking bolt, and it has one of the best depth controls there is. I do like the fast hitch better, but 3 point hitch implements are easier to find and the depth control is superb. I'm in the process of building three, 3 point hitches now for the Super A's.

Merlin,

We're in complete agreement on this issue. One caviat to add would be that wheel slip tends to lower the tractor thus lowering the implement and increasing the load. This can be a chain reaction. If the operator doesn't respond by properly lifting the implement it can be a problem. That's the primary advantage of draft control. Naturally, a 3pt with down pressure in the hands of an experienced operator will work well without draft control.

Matt Kirsch wrote:Only problem with a Fast Hitch is finding one. Cubs are rare. Finding a complete one for a Super A/100/130/140... That's going to be a toughie.

With the 3pt, you would at least be able to go to the "3pt hitch store" and buy one "off the shelf."

I expect JP Tractor Salvage could have one delivered by the end of the week.......It's a regional thing to be sure though. Fast Hitch 100's--140's are fairly common in thes parts, so the implements aren't that hard to find. If one was in a different location the three point conversion might have more merit.

Another shortcoming of a retrofit three point hitch is you don't have the standard drawbar anymore--you'd have to use a three-point hitch "swinging drawbar." Ugh.

As David mentioned, if I were buying, I would prefer something that was original. I saw a Super AV for sale yesterday, and its' biggest shortcoming was it had a cobbled up three point hitch setup on the back and no sign of the original rear cultivator gangs or drawbar. Of course, resale value doesn't mean a thing if you don't plan to ever sell! To each his own, but it seems to me like three point hitch conversions sometimes drift into the same category as 12 volt alternator conversions: Some people are just determined to convert over to them, whether they need it or not!

Matt Kirsch wrote:Only problem with a Fast Hitch is finding one. Cubs are rare. Finding a complete one for a Super A/100/130/140... That's going to be a toughie.

With the 3pt, you would at least be able to go to the "3pt hitch store" and buy one "off the shelf."

I expect JP Tractor Salvage could have one delivered by the end of the week.......It's a regional thing to be sure though. Fast Hitch 100's--140's are fairly common in thes parts, so the implements aren't that hard to find. If one was in a different location the three point conversion might have more merit.

Another shortcoming of a retrofit three point hitch is you don't have the standard drawbar anymore--you'd have to use a three-point hitch "swinging drawbar." Ugh.

As David mentioned, if I were buying, I would prefer something that was original. I saw a Super AV for sale yesterday, and its' biggest shortcoming was it had a cobbled up three point hitch setup on the back and no sign of the original rear cultivator gangs or drawbar. Of course, resale value doesn't mean a thing if you don't plan to ever sell! To each his own, but it seems to me like three point hitch conversions sometimes drift into the same category as 12 volt alternator conversions: Some people are just determined to convert over to them, whether they need it or not!

Al

Yep, a quick hitch is a lot easier on the old bones and joints. I think it is a regional thing too. I've seen one quick hitch on a Super A in my lifetime. I've never seen a drawbar on a Super A even though I've acquired them it parts and sold them on the net. Drawbars didn't come on Super A's here, but the toolbar did. Like you said, you can't use a U shaped drawbar with the 3 point without modification. When people started installing 3 point hitches, they would go to the dealer and buy the straight 3 point hitch drawbar for 20+ dollars and it wouldn't take 10 seconds to put them on the tractor ready to pull whatever behind the tractor. It took me less than an hour to build a straight 3 point drawbar from angle iron I had laying around. I haven't used it but about a half dozen times in the last 30+ years though. I think it is all just preference and do whatever is learned down thru the years.